51 percent of inmates were under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of their current offense

9 percent of inmates were homeless in the 12 months prior to their arrest

Two in five prison and jail inmates lack a high school diploma or its equivalent

Since 1991, the number of children with a mother in prison has more than doubled

2.5 million children in the United States have a parent in jail or prison, and some have even witnessed their parent's arrest

Twenty-two percent of the children of state inmates and 16 percent of the children of federal inmates were age 4 or younger. For both state (53 percent) and federal (50 percent) inmates, about half their children were age 9 or younger

14,000 girls (under 19 yrs.) are in some kind placement: detention, residential placement or correctional facility

In 2007, approximately 65,600 women in federal and state custody reported being the mothers of 147,400 minor children

60% of parents in state prison reported being held more than 100 miles from their last places of residence

The growing number of children with an incarcerated parent represents one of the most significant collateral consequences of the record prison population in the U.S.

54% of mothers and 57% of fathers in state prisons reported never receiving a visit from their children

Approximately half of children with incarcerated parents are under ten years old

Most prisons are not accessible by any form of public transportation, restricting child-parent visits. In some cases this means children will never visit their parents

Strong family ties during imprisonment can have a positive impact on people returning from prison and on their children

Research suggests that parenting programs in prison reduce recidivism, improving the chances of successful reentry

“When my mother was sentenced, I felt that I was sentenced. She was sentenced to prison-to be away from her kids and family. I was sentenced as a child, to be without my mother”